Thursday, January 21, 2010

Haiti.....and the lessons I have learnt

It is with utter dismay and shock that the world has helplessly watched Haiti crumble. So sudden, so terrible, horrific and completely devastating. Who has control over natural disasters? Who can calm nature when she lashes out? The Earthquake in Haiti has destroyed many lives and has probably changed the destiny of a few. But it has also shown that we must live each day as if it were our last day on earth. I have learnt that I must forgive very quickly, find reason to laugh a whole lot more, and remember to tell my loved ones how much I love them daily. I can't even imagine how people who lost loved ones in Haiti feel right now? No chance to say goodbye or to give one last hug? The devastation may have happened in Haiti, but we are all casualties.The poem by one of my favorite poetsJohn Pepper Clark Bekederemo- The Casualities, really describes it well as I'm sure you will agree. Excerpts below.

THE CASUALTIESby John Pepper Clark Bekederemo (1935 - Present)

The casualties are not only those who are dead;They are well out of it.The casualties are not only those who are wounded,Though they await burial by installmentThe casualties are not only those who have lostPerson or property, hard as it isTo grasp for a touch that someMay not know is not thereThe casualties are not those led away by night;The cell is a cruel place, sometimes a heaven,No where as absolute as the graveThe casualties are not those who startedA fire and now cannot put to out. ThousandsAre burning that had no say in the matter.The casualties are not only those who escapingThe shattered shell become prisoners inA fortress of falling walls.